Until recently,getting better sleepwas only a dreamin reality, my sleeping habits were an absolute mess.
Not long ago, I figured out the culprits.
I was diagnosed with severe obstructivesleepapnea, a condition that causes my airway to collapse during sleep.
Erik Isakson
It effectively cuts off my airflow, which disrupts my rest and restricts my oxygen intake.
It was really no way to live.
I knew I needed to get help.
I guess I got used to beingsleep deprived.
That’s not even counting thelong-term health benefits of getting good sleep!
Then they put me on the CPAP machine and told me to go back tosleep.
That first night, I got five hours of shut-eye with the CPAP machine.
Even though Id gotten 10 hours without it the night before, the CPAP sleep was far superior.
Im not as irritable as I used to be.
I wasnt Gordon-Ramsay-in-Kitchen-Nightmares-grouchy, but there were times when I was working with a short fuse.
Thats no surprise since another symptom of a chronic lack of sleep isyou guessed itbad moods.
I suffer from GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder.
Wouldnt you know it, sleep disorders absolutely exacerbate GAD, and GAD absolutely exacerbates sleep disorders!
Talk about a vicious cycle.
Then I replace them with positive ones, which is a staple ofGAD coping mechanisms.
It wasn’t uncommon for me to wake up five or six times a night.
Im not talking about a few second of consciousness and then back to dreamland.
I was physically getting up and out of bed five or six times.
Before, I was the walking embodiment of those 5-Hour Energy commercials.
You know the ones: Do you suffer from that 2:30 feeling?
Now I can work in quiet places, and I dont take naps.
Almost overnight, I reclaimed three to four hours of every day.
About three months ago, I committed to a three-hour round-trip commute to work five days a week.
Before treatment, my drive to work was a daily battle to stay awake.
It was a legitimate problem.
Luckily, thats not a issue for me anymore.
I can’t imagine going back to a life without my CPAP machine.
Since starting therapy, I keep my alarm next to my bed.
Even if I do hit snooze, its never more than once.
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